Normal Ciliary Beat Frequency after Ciliogenesis in Nasal Epithelial Cells Cultured Sequentially as Monolayer and in Suspension

Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured at room temperature in nasal epithelial cells from 10 control individuals at multiple time points during sequential monolayer-suspension culture. CBF was 8.4 +/- 1.6 Hz in the biopsy and decreased in monolayer culture to approximately 6 Hz. During monolayer culture the interindividual variability was increased (3.0 Hz), but not the intercellular and intracellular variability. Immediately after ciliogenesis in suspension culture, CBF was approximately 8 Hz, with a low interindividual variability. After 3 weeks in suspension culture CBF was 8.6 +/- 0.9 Hz. There was no difference in intercellular and intracellular variability of CBF in the different culture conditions. Ciliogenesis in the sequential monolayer-suspension culture results in quantitative normal ciliary activity, with low variability. The most important parameter of ciliary activity that changes during ciliary deterioration and ciliogenesis is the CBF itself.